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911 Call for ‘Handmaid' About to Jump From NYC Rooftop Ends With Cop ‘Rescuing' Umbrella

If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741

What to Know

  • A 911 call about a possible jumper dressed as a handmaid on a Manhattan building Tuesday ended up with a positive ending; it was an umbrella
  • The original tweet from the woman who called went viral, with tens of thousands of retweets and more than 100,000 likes
  • The NYPD also joined in on the fun, writing "Blessed be the umbrella," but reminding people not to hesitate to call if they perceive danger

A panicked woman called 911 Tuesday when she saw what she thought was a woman dressed as a handmaid, red cloak and all, about to jump from a building in Manhattan. 

NYPD officers responded to save the life -- of an umbrella. 

Casey McCormick tweeted a photo of what she saw from a distance, which could easily have been mistaken for a person in a red cloak on top of a rooftop. The "person" even appeared to be wearing a white bonnet, as the handmaids do in the Hulu series. 

Officers raced to the roof, where McCormick then captured photos of one cop smiling with his arms around the "waist" of a large umbrella on a pole. It appeared to have plastic around the top of it, which may have accounted for the "bonnet." 

A Great White Shark is being tracked off Long Island. Katherine Creag reports.

Well, she saw something -- and she said something. McCormick's tweet is going viral, with more than 47,000 retweets and 160,000 likes in less than 24 hours. 

The NYPD is having a bit of fun with it as well, tweeting "Blessed be the umbrella." The department also reminded people not to be hesitant about calling for help when they perceive a potentially dangerous situation: "Jokes aside, if you're ever hesitant about calling 911 -- don't be! We take all calls seriously, and worse case we get to go home with a great story." 

The quips continued into the comments, with the NYPD's 19th Precinct responding, "Praise be!" NYPD Central Park joined in with, "Under his eye." 

If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741.

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